Power saving techniques for an image capture device

ABSTRACT

An image capture device that includes an adjustment circuit configured to monitor image parameters, generate updated image settings for the image capture device in response to the monitored image parameters, and transmit the updated image settings to one or more processors. The updated image settings configure the one or more processors to determine whether to transition the image capture device from a dynamic scene mode to a static scene mode based on a first image parameter included in the monitored image parameters, wherein the first image parameter is different from a second image parameter used to determine to transition the image capture device from the static scene mode to the dynamic scene mode, and to suspend generation of all or less than all of the updated image settings in response to determining to transition the image capture device from the dynamic scene mode to the static scene mode.

This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application Ser.No. 62/414,262, filed Oct. 28, 2016, the entire content of which isincorporated herein by reference.

TECHNICAL FIELD

This disclosure generally relates to power saving techniques for animage capture device.

BACKGROUND

Image capture devices, such as digital cameras included in smart phones,digital video cameras or digital still cameras, may be used in differentapplications and environments. An image capture device may be capable ofproducing imagery under a variety of lighting conditions. For example,image capture devices may operate in environments that include largeamounts of reflected or saturated light, as well as in environments thatinclude high levels of contrast. Current smartphones cameras include a 3A adjustment module (auto exposure, auto white balance, auto focus) inaddition to other modules (e.g. tint adjustment module) to adjust theimaging signal processor (ISP) hardware and have become more and moresophisticated.

SUMMARY

In general, this disclosure describes example power saving techniquesfor an image capture device. In one example, in order to reduceconsumption of battery power during operation of a digital camera, thepresent disclosure describes example techniques to reduce powerconsumption when the device is operating in certain static scenesituations. For example, once the device is operating in a static scenemode, the system may transition from the static scene mode back to adynamic scene mode under certain conditions indicative of changes inlight conditions or scene content changes. When in a static scenesituation, the light condition may be relatively stable and scenecontent frame to frame may be similar. When in a dynamic scenesituation, the light condition is changing because the light sourceorientation or location with respect to an imaging sensor is changing,or there may be moving objects in the field of view. In order tocompensate for the light change and enhance user experience, a 3 Aadjustment may be applied instantaneously according to the lightconditions in the dynamic scene mode. The power saving technique of thepresent disclosure may switch between a static scene mode and a dynamicscene mode in order to achieve a balance between power usage and userexperience. The power saving techniques of the present disclosure may beimplemented in such a way so as to reduce the impact on the userexperience in terms of adjustment delay.

In one example, an image capture device comprises an adjustment circuitconfigured to monitor image parameters, generate updated image settingsfor the image capture device based on the monitored image parameters,and transmit the updated image settings; and one or more processorsconfigured to receive the transmitted updated image settings from theadjustment circuit, wherein the received updated image settings compriseinstructions for configuring the one or more processors to perform imageprocessing of the image capture device, and wherein the updated imagesettings configure the one or more processors to: determine totransition the image capture device from a dynamic scene mode to astatic scene mode based on a first image parameter included in themonitored image parameters, wherein the first image parameter used todetermine to transition the image capture device from the dynamic scenemode to the static scene mode is different than a second image parameterthat the one or more processors use to determine to transition the imagecapture device from the static scene mode to the dynamic scene mode,cause the adjustment circuit to suspend generation of all or less thanall of the updated image settings in response to determining totransition the image capture device from the dynamic scene mode to thestatic scene mode, and transition the image capture device from thedynamic scene mode to the static scene mode.

In another example, a method of operation in an image capture devicecomprises monitoring, by an adjustment circuit, image parameters,generating updated image settings for the image capture device based onthe monitored image parameters, and transmitting the updated imagesettings; receiving, by one or more processors, the transmitted updatedimage settings from the adjustment circuit, wherein the received updatedimage settings comprise instructions for configuring the one or moreprocessors to perform image processing of the image capture device;determining to transition the image capture device from a dynamic scenemode to a static scene mode based on a first image parameter of themonitored image parameters, wherein the first image parameter used todetermine to transition the image capture device from the dynamic scenemode to the static scene mode is different from a second image parameterused to determine to transition the image capture device from the staticscene mode to the dynamic scene mode; suspending generation of all orless than all of the updated image settings in response to determiningto transition the image capture device from the dynamic scene mode tothe static scene mode; and transitioning the image capture device fromthe dynamic scene mode to the static scene mode.

In another example, a computer-readable medium storing instructionsthat, when executed, cause one or more processors to: monitor imageparameters, generate updated image settings for an image capture devicebased on the monitored image parameters and transmit the updated imagesettings; receive the transmitted updated image settings, wherein thereceived updated image settings comprise instructions for configuringthe one or more processors to perform image processing of the imagecapture device; determine to transition the image capture device from adynamic scene mode to a static scene mode based on a first imageparameter included in the monitored image parameters, wherein the firstimage parameter used to determine to transition the image capture devicefrom the dynamic scene mode to the static scene mode is different from asecond image parameter used to transition the image capture device fromthe static scene mode to the dynamic scene mode; suspend generation ofall or less than all of the updated image settings in response todetermining to transition the image capture device from the dynamicscene mode to the static scene mode; and transition the image capturedevice from the dynamic scene mode to the static scene mode.

In another example, an image capture device comprises means formonitoring image parameters, generating updated image settings for theimage capture device based on the monitored image parameters andtransmitting the updated image settings; means for receiving thetransmitted updated image settings, wherein the received updated imagesettings comprise instructions for configuring one or more processors toperform image processing of the image capture device; means fordetermining to transition the image capture device from a dynamic scenemode to a static scene mode based on a first image parameter included inthe monitored image parameters, wherein the first image parameter usedto determine to transition the image capture device from the dynamicscene mode to the static scene mode is different from a second imageparameter used to determine to transition the image capture device fromthe static scene mode to the dynamic scene mode; means for suspendinggeneration of all or less than all of the updated image settings inresponse to determining to transition the image capture device from thedynamic scene mode to the static scene mode; and means for transitioningthe image capture device from the dynamic scene mode to the static scenemode.

The details of one or more aspects of the disclosure are set forth inthe accompanying drawings and the description below. Other features,objects, and advantages of the techniques described in this disclosurewill be apparent from the description, drawings, and claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a block diagram depicting an example image capture device forimplementing a power saving technique, according to an example of thepresent disclosure.

FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of transitioning between a static scenemode and a dynamic scene mode in an image capture device, according toan example of the present disclosure.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating an example device that mayimplement one or more techniques for transitioning between a staticscene mode and a dynamic scene mode, according to an example of thepresent disclosure described in this disclosure.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart of a method for transitioning between a staticscene mode and a dynamic scene mode, according to an example of thepresent disclosure described in this disclosure.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart of a method for transitioning between a staticscene mode and a dynamic scene mode, according to an example of thepresent disclosure described in this disclosure.

FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram of updating imaging parameters duringtransitioning between a static scene mode and a dynamic scene mode,according to an example of the present disclosure described in thisdisclosure.

FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram of a pipeline idle indicator fortransitioning between a static scene mode and a dynamic scene mode,according to an example of the present disclosure described in thisdisclosure.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart of a method for transitioning between a staticscene mode and a dynamic scene mode, according to an example of thepresent disclosure described in this disclosure.

FIG. 9 is a flowchart of a method for transitioning between a staticscene mode and a dynamic scene mode, according to an example of thepresent disclosure described in this disclosure.

FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram of transitioning between a static scenemode and a dynamic scene mode, according to an example of the presentdisclosure.

FIG. 11 is a table of control parameters that may be implemented in oneor more techniques for transitioning between a static scene mode and adynamic scene mode, according to an example of the present disclosuredescribed in this disclosure.

FIG. 12 is a schematic diagram of an autofocus feature duringtransitioning between a static scene mode and a dynamic scene mode,according to an example of the present disclosure.

FIG. 13 is a schematic diagram of illustrating an example of applyingsub-sampling raw statistics message that may be utilized in order toreduce power consumption, according to an example of the presentdisclosure described in this disclosure.

FIG. 14 is a schematic diagram of determining whether an image capturedevice is in a dynamic scene mode using a relative correlationcoefficients calculation, according to an example of the presentdisclosure described in this disclosure.

FIG. 15 is a schematic diagram of a message list of raw statisticsmessages to describe frame information for transitioning between astatic scene mode and a dynamic scene mode, according to an example ofthe present disclosure described in this disclosure.

FIG. 16 is a flowchart of a method of implementing a power savingtechnique in an image capture device, according to an example of thepresent disclosure described in this disclosure.

FIG. 17 is a flowchart of a method of implementing a power savingtechnique in an image capture device, according to an example of thepresent disclosure described in this disclosure.

FIG. 18 is a flowchart of a method of implementing a power savingtechnique in an image capture device, according to an example of thepresent disclosure described in this disclosure.

FIG. 19 is a flowchart of a method of implementing a power savingtechnique in an image capture device, according to an example of thepresent disclosure described in this disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

This disclosure describes techniques for reducing power consumption inan image capture device, such as a digital camera included in asmartphone device, for example. In order to reduce consumption ofbattery power during use of a camera in a smartphone system, forexample, the present disclosure proposes techniques for reducing powerconsumption by transitioning from a dynamic scene mode to a static scenemode when the device is operating in certain static scene situations.Once the device is operating in the static scene mode, the system maytransition from the static scene mode back to the dynamic scene modeunder certain conditions indicative of changes in light conditions orscene content changes, for example. When in a static scene situation,the light condition may be relatively stable and scene content fromframe to frame may be similar. When in a dynamic scene situation, thelight condition is changing because the light source orientation orlocation with respect to an imaging sensor is changing, or there may bemoving objects in the field of view. In order to compensate for thelight change and enhance user experience, a 3 A adjustment may beapplied instantaneously according to the light conditions in the dynamicscene mode. The power saving technique of the present disclosure mayswitch between a static scene mode and a dynamic scene mode in order toachieve a balance between power usage and user experience. The proposedpower saving technique of the present disclosure may be implemented insuch a way so as to reduce the impact on the user experience in terms ofadjustment delay. For example, when in the static scene mode, the amountof time required for the device to transition from the static scene modeback to the dynamic scene mode may vary depending on changes in lightconditions, rather than being dependent upon a timer, as describedbelow. In addition, the parameters used to determine whether totransition from the dynamic scene mode to the static scene mode may bedifferent from the parameters used to determine whether to transitionfrom the static scene mode back to the dynamic scene mode, as describedbelow.

For example, while the image capture device is in the dynamic scenemode, during which each of an auto exposure control module, an autowhite balance module, and an auto focus module are operating, anadjustment circuit monitors image capture parameters associated with allthree modules, and based on the monitored image parameters generatesupdated image setting for the image capture device, and transmits theupdated image settings to one or more processors that are configured toreceive the transmitted updated image settings. The received updatedimage settings include instructions for configuring the one or moreprocessors to perform image processing of the image capture device. Forexample, the updated image setting may configure the one or moreprocessors to determine to transition the image capture device from adynamic scene mode to a static scene mode based on a first imageparameter included in the monitored image parameters. The first imageparameter used to determine to transition the image capture device fromthe dynamic scene mode to the static scene mode may be different from asecond image parameter that the one or more processors use to determineto transition the image capture device from the static scene mode to thedynamic scene mode. In one example, if it is determined that the imagecapture device should transition from the dynamic scene mode to thestatic scene mode, the one or more processors may cause the adjustmentcircuit to suspend generation of all or less than all of the updatedimage settings, and transition the image capture device from the dynamicscene mode to the static scene mode.

If the one or more processors determine, while in the dynamic scenemode, that the image capture device should not transition from thedynamic scene mode to the static scene mode, the adjustment circuitgenerates, using all three modules, updated image settings that includeprocessor configuration instructions and transmits the updated imagesettings to the one or more processors. Therefore, during operation inthe dynamic scene mode, the configuration of the processor continues tobe adjusted based on the current updated image settings received fromthe adjustment circuit using all three modules, and during operation inthe static scene mode the configuration of the processor continues to beadjusted based on the current updated image settings received from theadjustment circuit using less than all or none of the three modules.

On the other hand, if it is determined, while in the dynamic scene mode,that the image capture device should transition from the dynamic scenemode to the static scene mode, the auto white balance module and theautofocus module may be disabled or turned off, so that only the autoexposure control module continues generating parameters when the imagecapture device is in the static scene mode, thereby reducing powerconsumption while in the static scene mode. Once in the static scenemode, the image capture device stores current updated image settings andthe one or more processors determine to transition from the static scenemode back to the dynamic scene mode based only on the auto exposurecontrol parameters.

If it is determined, while in the static scene mode, that the imagecapture device should not transition from the static scene mode back tothe dynamic scene mode but rather remain in the static scene mode, theimage capture device continues sending the stored current updated imagesettings to the one or more processors and the process continues in thestatic scene mode with the same stored updated image settings beingutilized over and over by the one or more processors so that theinstructions for configuring the one or more processors remain the samewhile in the static scene mode. In this way, disabling or turning offthe auto white balance module and the autofocus module, so that only theauto exposure control module continues generating parameters, andsuspending updating of image settings and using the same updated imagesettings in the one or more processors results in a power savings forthe image capture device while in the static scene mode.

If it is determined, while in the static scene mode, that the imagecapture device should transition from the static scene mode back to thedynamic scene mode, the one or more processors may cause the adjustmentcircuit to restart generation of image settings updates based onmonitoring of image capture parameters associated with using all of thecontrol modules, so that the one or more processors receive and areconfigured by the generated updated image settings received from theadjustment circuit subsequent to causing the adjustment circuit torestart generation of updated image settings.

According to another example, determining whether to transition from thedynamic scene mode to the static scene mode is the same as in theexample described above. However, when it is determined that the imagecapture device should transition from the dynamic scene mode to thestatic scene mode, each of the auto exposure control module, the autowhite balance module and the autofocus module may be disabled or turnedoff, and the most recent generated current image settings are stored. Inorder to determine to transition from the static scene mode back to thedynamic scene mode while all of the control modules are disabled, otherinformation may be utilized, such as raw statistics messages in a Bayergrid domain, for example. If it is determined that the image capturedevice should not transition from the static scene mode back to thedynamic scene mode but rather remain in the static scene mode, thestored current updated image settings may be sent to the one or moreprocessors, and the process continues in the static scene mode using thesame stored updated image settings so that the instructions forconfiguring the one or more processors remain the same while the imagecapture device is in the static scene mode. In this way, having theadjustment module disabled or turn off all of the control modules andrepeatedly using the same updated image settings that were storedsubsequent to suspending all of the modules for configuring theprocessor results in a power savings for the image capture device whilein the static scene mode.

On the other hand, when it is determined, based on the raw statisticsmessages in the Bayer domain, for example, that the image capture deviceshould transition from the static scene mode back to the dynamic scenemode, the one or more processors may cause the adjustment circuit torestart generation of the updated image settings based on monitoring ofimage capture parameters associated with all of the three modules.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram depicting an example image capture device forimplementing a power saving technique, according to an example of thepresent disclosure. The illustrated embodiment is not meant to belimiting, but is rather illustrative of certain components in someembodiments. An image capture device according to the presentapplication may include a variety of other components for otherfunctions which are not shown for clarity of the illustrated components.

As illustrated in FIG. 1, according to one example, an image capturedevice 100, such as a digital camera included in a smartphone device mayinclude an imaging device 110 and an electronic display 130. Imagingdevice 110 corresponds to specific hardware for processing input data,which is in Bayer patterns, received from one or a combination ofimaging sensors 117 into full RGB colored images for display byelectronic display 130 using a procedure known as demosaicing. Otherfunctions may be included within imaging device 110, such as denoising,RGB gain adjustment, chromatic aberration correction, and so forth.Certain examples of electronic display 130 may include flat paneldisplay technology, such as an LED, LCD, plasma, or projection screen,or a display of a smartphone device. Electronic display 130 may becoupled to a processor 120 for receiving information for visual displayto a user. Such information may include, but is not limited to, visualrepresentations of files stored in a memory location, softwareapplications installed on the processor 120, user interfaces, andnetwork-accessible content objects. The processor 120 may be a CPU in asmartphone system, and may execute software associated with adjustmentparameters utilized by imaging device 110. Processor 120 may be used tocalculate imaging parameters, and imaging device 110 may be the hardwareassociated with loading the parameters to processing data in bayerpatterns from sensors 117 and generate RGB full colored images.

The image capture device 100 may further include the processor 120linked to the imaging device 110, and a power source 115. A workingmemory 135, electronic display 130, and a program memory 140 are also incommunication with processor 120. While described in FIG. 1 as being adigital camera included in a smartphone device, the image capture device100 of the present disclosure may be a mobile device, such as a tablet,laptop computer, or other cellular telephone device. In some examples,image capture device 100 may be a standalone system such as in astandalone digital camera that is not necessarily part of anotherdevice.

Processor 120 may be a general purpose processing unit or may be aprocessor specially designed for imaging applications for a handheldelectronic device. As shown, the processor 120 is connected to, and indata communication with, program memory 140 and a working memory 135. Insome examples, the working memory 135 may be incorporated in theprocessor 120, for example, cache memory. The working memory 135 mayalso be a component separate from the processor 120 and coupled to theprocessor 120, for example, using one or more RAM or DRAM components. Inother words, although FIG. 1 illustrates two memory components,including program memory 140 having several modules and separate workingmemory 135, other memory architectures are possible. For example, adesign may utilize ROM or static RAM memory for the storage of processorinstructions implementing the modules contained in program memory 140.The processor instructions may then be loaded into RAM to facilitateexecution by the processor. For example, working memory 135 may be a RAMmemory, with instructions loaded into working memory 135 beforeexecution by the processor 120.

In the illustrated example, the program memory 140 may include a 3 Aadjustment circuit 145 for executing an adjustment circuit, an operatingsystem 165, and a user interface module 170. 3 A adjustment circuit 145may include an auto exposure control (AEC) module 150, an auto whitebalance module 155, and an auto focus module 160. These modules mayinclude instructions that configure the processor 120 to perform variousimage processing and device management tasks, including the power savingtechniques of the present disclosure. Program memory 140 can be anysuitable computer-readable storage medium, such as a non-transitorystorage medium. Working memory 135 may be used by processor 120 to storea working set of processor instructions contained in the modules ofmemory 140. Alternatively, working memory 135 may also be used byprocessor 120 to store dynamic data created during the operation ofimage capture device 100.

As mentioned above, processor 120 may be configured by several modulesstored in program memory 140. In other words, processor 120 may runinstructions stored in modules in program memory 140. 3 A adjustmentcircuit 145 may include instructions that configure the processor 120 toimplement a power saving technique in accordance with the presentdisclosure. Therefore, processor 120, along with 3 A adjustment circuit145, imaging device 110, and working memory 135, represent one means forimplementing a power saving technique for an image capture device forreducing power consumption from power source 115 according to thepresent disclosure.

Auto exposure control module 150 may include instructions forconfiguring or calculating and storing an auto exposure setting of theimage capture device 100. Auto white balance module 155 may includeinstructions for configuring or calculating and storing an auto whitebalance setting of the image capture device 100, and auto focus module160 may include instructions for configuring or calculating and storingan auto focus setting of the image capture device 100. According toexample of the present disclosure, the current settings of auto exposurecontrol module 150, auto white balance module 155, and auto focus module160 may be utilized to implement a power saving technique for imagecapture device 100.

Imaging device 110 may send raw statistics messages in a Bayer domain todescribe the frame information from processor 120 to auto exposurecontrol module 150, auto white balance module 155 and auto focus module160. Examples of those raw statistics messages are listed FIG. 15. 3 Acontrol modules 145, due to execution on processor 120, may causeprocessor 120 to analyze the raw statistics messages and calculateimaging parameters, such as sensor gain, R/G/B gain, lens position forfocus, etc., based on the raw statistics messages. The calculatedimaging parameters may be updated to the imaging device 110 and sensor117 to adjust imaging procedures in the sensor 117 and imaging device110, resulting in improved imaging quality. The update procedure mayinclude multiple steps, such as a trigger update, hardware Lookup Table(LUT) update, so on

An adjustment delay of the 3 A adjustment circuit 145 is associated withthe period of time between when the processor 120 begins updating imageparameters and the time when those parameters take effect in imagingdevice 110, and may include a parameter calculation time and a period oftime for the imaging device 110 to reload those parameters. In order toachieve quality user experience, the adjustment delay of the 3 Aadjustment circuit 145 may be designed to be a predefined parameter(e.g. 1.3 ms). This may require that the 3 A adjustment circuit 145 runon a per frame basis, which places an increased usage burden onprocessor 120, and may result in an increased amount of battery powerbeing utilized. In some examples, 3 A adjustment circuit 145 may beconfigured in such a way so as to reduce the power consumption.According to one example, in order to reduce adjustment delay, apipeline technique is applied to update imaging parameters, asillustrated in FIG. 6. In this example, any imaging parameters from 3 Amodules 150,155, and 160 may be applied to sensor 117 and imaging device110 in 4 frames, which is equivalent to 1.3 ms if the frame rate is 30Hz.

For example, when image capture device 100 determines, based on thecurrent settings of 3 A adjustment circuit 145 stored in working memory135, for example, that the device is in a static scene mode, theprocessor 120 may cause the image capture device 100 to transition to alower power mode associated with the static scene mode. During operationin the lower power mode associated with the static scene mode, thedevice may transition from the lower power mode to a normal power modeassociated with the dynamic scene mode when image capture device 100determines that the device is in a dynamic scene power mode, asillustrated in FIG. 2 and as will be described below. Therefore,processor 120, along with the stored settings from 3 A adjustmentcircuit 145, represent one way for implementing a power saving techniquefor image capture device 100 that includes transitioning between thedynamic scene mode and the static scene mode.

In this way, in one example, an adjustment circuit of an image capturedevice may be configured to monitor image parameters, generate updatedimage settings for the image capture device based on the monitored imageparameters, and transmit the updated image settings to one or moreprocessors configured to receive the transmitted updated image settingsfrom the adjustment circuit. The received updated image settings mayinclude instructions for configuring the one or more processors toperform image processing of the image capture device. The receivedupdated image settings may configure the one or more processors to:determine to transition the image capture device from a dynamic scenemode to a static scene mode based on a first image parameter included inthe monitored image parameters that is different from a second imageparameter that the one or more processors use to determine to transitionthe image capture device from the static scene mode to the dynamic scenemode, cause the adjustment circuit to suspend generation of all or lessthan all of the updated image settings in response to determining totransition the image capture device from the dynamic scene mode to thestatic scene mode, and transition the image capture device from thedynamic scene mode to the static scene mode.

In another example, the image parameters may include a first set ofimage parameters, and the monitored image parameters may include a firstset of monitored image parameters, and subsequent to the transition ofthe image capture device from the dynamic scene mode to the static scenemode, the adjustment circuit is configured to monitor a second set ofimage parameters. Subsequent to the transition of the image capturedevice from the dynamic scene mode to the static scene mode, the one ormore processors may be configured to: determine to transition the imagecapture device from the static scene mode to the dynamic scene modebased on the second image parameter included in the second set of imageparameters, and transition the image capture device from the staticscene mode to the dynamic scene mode.

In another example, the one or more processors may be configured tocause the adjustment circuit to restart generation of updated imagesettings in response to determining to transition the image capturedevice from the static scene mode to the dynamic scene mode, and receiveand be configured by the updated image settings generated by theadjustment circuit subsequent to causing the adjustment circuit torestart generation of updated image settings.

In another example, the second image parameter may be an exposure indexof a current frame, and wherein to determine whether to transition theimage capture device from the static scene mode to the dynamic scenemode based on the second image parameter, the one or more processors maybe configured to: compare the exposure index of the current frame to anexposure index of a previous frame, and determine to transition from thestatic scene mode to the dynamic scene mode in response to the exposureindex of the current frame being approximately equal to the exposureindex of the previous frame.

In another example, the second image parameter may be R/G/B channelintensity, and wherein to determine to transition the image capturedevice from the static scene mode to the dynamic scene mode based on thesecond image parameter, the one or more processors may be configured to:determine, while in the static scene mode, a difference of the R/G/Bchannel intensity in corresponding regions between a current frame and aprevious frame, generate a difference image based on the difference,compare values in the difference image to a difference range threshold,and determine to transition from the static scene mode to the dynamicscene mode based on to the comparing.

Program memory 140 may also include a user interface module 170. Theuser interface module 170 illustrated in FIG. 1 may include instructionsthat configure the processor 120 to provide a collection of on-displayobjects and soft controls that allow the user to interact with thedevice, such as allowing the user to select regions of interestidentified and displayed in a preview mode of the image capture device.The user interface module 170 also allows applications to interact withthe rest of the system. An operating system module 165 may also residein program memory 140 and operate with processor 120 to manage thememory and processing resources of the image capture device 100. Forexample, operating system 165 may include device drivers to managehardware resources such as the electronic display 130 or imaging device110. In some embodiments, instructions contained in 3 A adjustmentcircuit 145 may not interact with these hardware resources directly, butinstead interact through standard subroutines or APIs located inoperating system 165. Instructions within operating system 165 may theninteract directly with these hardware components.

Processor 120 may write data to storage module 125. While storage module125 is represented graphically as a traditional disk drive, otherexample could include a disk-based storage device or one of severalother types of storage mediums, including a memory disk, USB drive,flash drive, security digit (SD) card, remotely connected storagemedium, virtual disk driver, or the like.

Although FIG. 1 depicts a device comprising separate components toinclude a processor, imaging device, electronic display, and memory,these separate components may be combined in a variety of ways toachieve particular design objectives. For example, the memory componentsmay be combined with processor components to save cost and improveperformance.

Additionally, although FIG. 1 illustrates two memory components,including memory component 140 comprising several modules and a separatememory 135 comprising a working memory, other memory architectures arepossible. For example, a design may utilize ROM or static RAM memory forthe storage of processor instructions implementing the modules containedin memory 140. Alternatively, processor instructions may be read atsystem startup from a disk storage device that is integrated into imagecapture device 100 or connected via an external device port. Theprocessor instructions may then be loaded into RAM to facilitateexecution by the processor. For example, working memory 135 may be a RAMmemory, with instructions loaded into working memory 135 beforeexecution by the processor 120.

In order to reduce consumption of battery power during use of a camerain a smartphone system, for example, the present disclosure describestechniques for reducing power consumption when the device is operatingin certain static scene situations. However, the system may transitionfrom the static scene mode back to a dynamic scene mode under certainconditions indicative of increased light conditions changes or scenecontent changes. The proposed power saving technique of the presentdisclosure may be implemented in such a way so as to reduce the impacton the user experience in term of adjustment delay associated with theamount of time from when the processor 120 begins updating imageparameters to the time when the updated parameters take effect in theimaging device 110. In the example illustrated in FIG. 7, where thepipeline has a length associated with four time frames, if theadjustment delay is fixed at 1.32 ms, transfer from the static mode tothe dynamic mode may occur in 0.33 ms. As illustrated in FIGS. 2-5,according to one example of the present disclosure, a dynamic scene maybe detected based on raw statistics messages from imaging device 110. Asillustrated in FIGS. 9-12, according to another example of the presentdisclosure, a dynamic scene may be detected by the AEC module 150.

FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of state transitioning between a staticscene mode and a dynamic scene mode in an example power saving techniquefor an image capture device, according to an example of the presentdisclosure. As illustrated in FIG. 2, image capture device 100 mayoperate in one of two modes: a static scene mode 200 and dynamic scenemode 202. In static scene mode 200, all the modules, including 3 Aadjustment modules 150-160, and other hardware program modules, such asprocessor 120, may be utilized to adjust exposure (i.e. sensor gain),R/G/B gains, lens positions of the camera hardware are paused, andprevious adjusted optimal parameters are re-used in the sensor 117 andimaging device 110 so that the system transitions to a lower power mode.In static scene mode 200, other power saving methods may also beapplied, such as sub-sampling the raw statistics messages to the 3 Aadjustment circuit 145 from 30 Hz to 15 Hz Or 7.8 HZ, for example, andtherefore, the trigger frequency of the modules are also reduced and theCPU utility is reduced. FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating anexample device that may implement one or more techniques fortransitioning between a static scene mode and a dynamic scene mode,according to an example of the present disclosure described in thisdisclosure. As illustrated in FIG. 3, imaging device hardware 204generates a statistics (STATS) message based on input received fromsensors 117, that is parsed by a parser software framework 206 into asoftware format to generate imaging parameters that are used instatic/dynamic scene detection 208 to determine control of an AECalgorithm 210, an AWB algorithm, a tintless algorithm 214 and an AFalgorithm 216 within 3 A adjustment circuit 145, described below indetail.

FIG. 13 is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of applyingsub-sampling raw statistics message that may be utilized in order toreduce power consumption, according to an example of the presentdisclosure. According to one example, sub-sampling of raw statisticsmessages may be applied from 30 Hz to 7.5 Hz in the imaging device 110to reduce the work load of 3 A modules and processor 120. In certaininstances, if light change occurs between two sub-sampling moments, theimaging parameters adjustment may be delayed for up to 4 frames, whichis not desirable. Therefore, according to one example, if hardware-basedsubsampling is applied to reduced power consumption, the sub-samplingrate may not be greater than 4. In one example, the frequency of rawstatistics message may be maintained from imaging device as 30 Hz, whileadaptively detecting a dynamic scene based on raw statistics messages.

During a scene change or light condition changes when in dynamic scenemode 202, the modules 150-160 within 3 A adjustment circuit 145 areactivated to adjust ISP parameters as quickly as possible. Sensor gainis utilized for all other modules. Therefore, once sensor gain isadjusted, R/G/B gains or others parameters need to be re-adjusted. Indynamic scene mode 202, the input message to modules within 3 Aadjustment circuit 145 are always 30 Hz, and the adjustment delay for 3A adjustment circuit 145 parameters may be 1.3 ms. The input messagesmay be raw statistics to describe the R/G/B values in Bayer patterns ineach frame, and may be used by the 3 A module to calculate imageparameters such as sensor gain, R/G/B gains, and so forth. FIG. 6 is aschematic diagram of a pipeline to update image parameters per framethat may be utilized in order to reduce adjustment delay and enhance auser experience in fast changing light conditions during transitioningbetween a static scene mode and a dynamic scene mode, according to anexample of the present disclosure. FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram of apipeline idle indicator for skipping a per frames image parameter updateto reduce power consumption when in a static scene mode that may beutilized during transitioning between a static scene mode and a dynamicscene mode, according to an example of the present disclosure.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart of static scene detection based on a stableexposure index, according to an example of the present disclosure. Asillustrated in FIG. 4, according to one example of the presentdisclosure, in order to detect static scene mode 200 when the system isoperating in dynamic scene mode 202, during which all of modules 150-160in 3 A adjustment circuit 145 are operating, the stored output frommodules 150-160 in 3 A adjustment circuit 145 are monitored, and if theoutputs are determined to be stable over a pre-determined duration, thedevice determines that the system may transition from the dynamic scenemode 202 to the static scene mode 200. In one example, an output of anauto exposure control (AEC) is an exposure table index (EI), andtherefore an EI of a current frame is compared to an EI of a previousframe to determine whether there is a change in the exposure index,Block 218. If the EI of the current frame is the same as orapproximately equal to the EI of the previous frame, a counter isincreased by 1, Block 220. On the other hand, if the EI of the currentframe is not the same the counter is cleared to 0, Block 222, and thedevice remains in the dynamic scene mode 202, Block 203. Once thecounter is greater than a threshold waiting frame number WF (e.g. 5, asillustrated in FIG. 13), Block 224, the system is determined totransition from the dynamic scene mode to the static scene mode 200,Block 201. The threshold WF may be applied in order to make sure allother modules in 3 A adjustment circuit 145 also finished theirrespective adjustment.

In another example, in order to detect dynamic scene mode 202 when thesystem is static scene mode 200, during which all of modules 150-160 in3 A adjustment circuit 145 are paused or sub-sampled, other informationis utilized to determine whether a dramatic scene change occurs. Rawstatistics messages from ISP hardware contain frame information fromimaging device 110 in a Bayer domain, i.e., using a Bayer grid. In oneexample, the raw statistics message are utilized to determine if acurrent scene change has occurred. Other methods are also possible to beused to determine a transition from the static scene mode 200 back tothe dynamic scene mode 202. For example, the location information orsensed motion from motion sensors inside the smartphone may be used todetermine whether the camera is moving.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart of a method for transitioning between a staticscene mode and a dynamic scene mode based on changes in brightness,according to an example of the present disclosure. In one example,dynamic scene mode 202 may be detected based on total brightness orexposure table index estimation. For example, when in dynamic scene mode202, the image capture device system 100 may calculate a totalbrightness from raw statistics, Block 226, based on the followingformula:

Total_brightness=(0.299*R+0.587*G+0.114*B)

where R/G/B is the averaged red, green, and blue channel intensity inthe raw statistics message for all the regions.

The current Exposure index (EI) from an AEC algorithm of the AEC module150 at the corresponding total_brightness may be recorded in memory 135,Block 230, with each EI having a corresponding Total_brightness. Inanother example, a mapping table from the Total_brightness to the EI maybe generated, Block 220/222 when in the dynamic scene mode 202.

In another example, when in the static scene mode 200, NO in Block 228,a total_brightness may be calculated from the raw statistics message andthe EI may be estimated from the mapping table according to the value oftotal_brightness, Block 234. As a result, running the AEC algorithm isavoided, resulting in reduced power consumption. The difference ofcurrent frame's EI from last frame's EI is compared, and if thedifference comparison is less than a predetermined threshold, NO inBlock 236, then it is determined that the current scene is still instatic scene mode 200, Block 201. If the difference comparison isgreater than the threshold, YES in Block 236, then image device system100 transitions from the static scene mode 200 to the dynamic scene mode202, Block 203. As a result, the EI may be estimated from a simplebrightness calculation without executing the AEC module 150 procedure,which will save the power consumed by the AEC module 150.

The threshold may be configurable and corresponds to the sensitivity ofthe image capture device 100 with respect to system sensitivity to lightchange. If the threshold is small, the system may be more sensitive tothe light change or scene content change. If the threshold is large, thesystem may be less sensitive, and therefore may remain in the staticscene mode 200 and does not respond to marginal change of light or scenecontent. This threshold may be useful for the user experience andeffects of power saving. A suitable choice for the threshold parameterto be utilized is made in order to achieve a desired tradeoff betweenadjustment performance and power efficiency.

According to one example, a difference between raw statisticsinformation is utilized to determine whether image device system 100 isto transition from the static scene mode 200 back to the dynamic scenemode 202. The difference of a corresponding R/G/B channel intensity incorresponding regions between a current frame and a previous frame isdetermined, and a difference image is generated. If all the values inthe difference image are determined to be larger than a threshold, theimage device system 100 determines that the light is changingsignificantly and therefore transitions to the dynamic scene mode 200.If some values in the difference image are less than the threshold,indicating that the light is not changing to a large degree but thecontent of the scene is changing, a percentage of changing regions isdetermined. If the determined percentages of changing regions is largerthan a changing regions threshold (e.g., 50%), then it is determinedthat image device system 100 should transition from the static scenemode 200 back to the dynamic scene mode 202. If the determinedpercentages of changing regions is not larger than the percentage ofchanging regions, the image device system 100 remains in the staticscene mode 200.

In another example, during low light conditions, the image device system100 may determine whether the device system 100 may be in the dynamicscene mode 202 using a relative correlation coefficients calculation, asillustrated in FIG. 14 for example. In order to calculate the normalizedcoefficients, the differences of corresponding regions of a currentframe and a previous frame are normalized by the total energy of thosedifferences. The normalization makes the correlation coefficients to besensitive in low light conditions. The calculated correlationcoefficients may be compared with another threshold ranging from 0 to 1.If the coefficient is larger than the threshold, the capture devicesystem 100 may transfer to dynamic scene mode 202 from the static scenemode 200. If the coefficient is not larger than the threshold, thecapture device system 100 may remain in the static scene mode 200.

FIG. 9 is a flowchart of a method for transitioning between a staticscene mode and a dynamic scene mode, according to an example of thepresent disclosure. According to another example of the presentdisclosure, control of the transition between static mode and dynamicmode may be controlled based on the AEC module 150. For example, the AECmodule 150 may be processed before all others modules in 3 A adjustmentcircuit 145. An example of control logic of this example is illustratedin FIG. 10 and state transition diagram is illustrated in FIG. 12.Similar to the method described in FIG. 4, in the example illustrated inFIG. 9, the static scene determination may include monitoring the outputEI from AEC module 150, and comparing an EI of a current frame to an EIof a previous frame to determine whether there is a change in theexposure index, Block 256. If the EI of the current frame is not thesame, the counter is cleared to 0, Block 260, and the device remains inthe dynamic scene mode 202, Block 203. If the EI of the current frame isthe same as or approximately equal to the EI of the previous frame, acounter is increased by 1, Block 258, and if the output EI is not stablefor a given waiting frame number WF, such as 5 for example, Block 262,the device is determined to be in the dynamic scene mode, Block 203. Onthe other hand, if the output EI is stable for the given waiting framenumber WF, Block 262, the device is determined to be in the static scenemode, Block 201.

When the system is in the static scene mode 200, all the modules in 3 Aadjustment circuit 145, except for the AEC module 150, may be paused orsub-sampled so that the AEC module 150 operates while the device is instatic scene mode 200. Although the AEC module 150 consumes some power,it may apply sophisticated algorithms to determine a suitable EI basedon raw statistics message of current frame. If the output EI of thecurrent frame is different from previous frame, Block 256, the imagecapture system 100 is determined to be in the dynamic scene mode 202,Block 203. When in the static scene mode 200, Block 201, a percentage ofchanging regions is determined, and if the determined percentages ofchanging regions is larger than a changing regions threshold (e.g.,50%), Block 264, then it is determined that image device system 100should transition from the static scene mode 200 back to the dynamicscene mode 202. If the determined percentages of changing regions is notlarger than the percentage of changing regions, the image device system100 remains in the static scene mode 200.

Scene change detection is a function of AEC module 150, and may beemployed for low power design for image capture device 100. FIG. 11 is atable of control parameters that may be implemented in this describedtechnique for transitioning between a static scene mode and a dynamicscene mode.

Auto focus module 160 may use similar schemes to save power in imagingdevices. As illustrated in FIG. 12, according to one example, auto focusmodule 160 may operate in two modes: searching mode and low powermonitor mode. In the searching mode, auto focus module may allow anactuator in sensor 117 to adjust a lens position to achieve a desiredimage contrast. Once the lens position is fixed for a duration, autofocus module 160 may transition from the searching mode to the low powermonitor mode. In the power monitor mode, auto focus module may useprevious described methods to detect a scene change. Other methods mayalso be applied, such as motion detection based on motion sensor, depthmap change, or phase information from sensor 117. Once it is determinedthe scene is changed, auto focus module 160 may transition the devicefrom the low power monitor mode to the searching mode.

In another example, as illustrated in FIGS. 7 and 8, 3 A adjustmentcircuit 145 employing a pipeline technique as illustrated in FIG. 6, forexample, may be enhanced to reduce the power consumption. For example, apipeline idle indicator may be applied to skip any unnecessaryinstructions executed in the processor 120. If there are no messagesthat are received from user interface module 170, or from otherinterfaces, transmitted to imaging device 110, the pipeline is marked asnot idle, and the normal adjustment may be performed. If there are nomessages from 3 A adjustment circuit 145 to imaging devices 110, thepipeline may be indicated as being idle, and any hardware relativeparameters update procedure (i.e. imaging device trigger update, imagingdevice Lookup Table (LUT) update) may be skipped. The pipeline idleindicator may be combined with previous described methods to furthersave power when in the static scene mode 200. When system is in staticscene mode 200, the imaging parameter update pipeline is idle in mostcases except during some user interface messages from user interfacemodule 170. When the system is in the dynamic scene mode 202, thepipeline may be always busy, and the update procedures may be performedto meet minimal adjustment delay requirement.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart of a method for skipping a per frame imageparameters update that may be utilized during transitioning between astatic scene mode and a dynamic scene mode, according to an example ofthe present disclosure. As illustrated in FIG. 8, imaging devicehardware 238 generates a STATS message from sensor input, that is parsedby a parser software framework 240 into a software format to generateimaging parameters that are used in dynamic/static scene determination242 to generate 3 A threads 244, as described in FIG. 3. Imaging devicehardware also generates a start of frame (SOF) trigger for triggeringupdates procedures and determines whether the system is in the staticscene mode during which the pipeline is typically idle, Block 248. Ifthe system is determined to be in the static scene mode, no updating ofall imaging parameters occurs Block 254. On the other hand, if thesystem is not in the static scene mode and therefore the pipeline is notidle, all imaging parameters are updated back into hardware 250 via ISPtrigger thread 246, and updating of the lookup table is performed 252,as described above. According to one example, patches 253 and 255 may beincluded to enable software updates for the device. By the utilizing thepower saving techniques of the present disclosure to skip 3 Aadjustment, the proposed scheme of the present disclosure may save 27-28mW CPU power and about 11-12 mA battery power when the image capturedevice operates in the static scene mode. With both 3 A adjustment andhardware update skipping, the power saving technique may save 35-37 mWCPU power and 18-20 mA battery power when the image capture deviceoperates in the static scene mode. FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram of astate machine to control BG Stats DFS. In addition, the power savingtechnique of the present disclosure may not result in a large powerpenalty when the image capture device operates in the static scene modeand does not cause AEC adjustment delay when light condition changes.The power saving technique of the present disclosure may saveapproximately 42 mW power in the CPU rail and approximately 25 mA inpower when the image capture device operates in the static scene mode.The power saving technique of the present disclosure does not increasepower in other situations and does not incur adjust delay for 3 Aadjustment circuit 145 or other tintless algorithms.

FIG. 16 is a flowchart of a method of implementing a power savingtechnique in an image capture device, according to an example of thepresent disclosure. As illustrated in FIG. 16, according to one example,while in the dynamic scene mode 202 during which all of modules 150-160are operating, adjustment circuit 145 of image capture device 100monitors image capture parameters, Block 300, associated with modules150-160, and based on the monitored image parameters determines whetherthe image capture device 100 should transition from the dynamic scenemode 202 to the static scene mode 200, Block 302. According to oneexample, an output of auto exposure control 150 is an exposure tableindex (EI), and therefore an EI of a current frame is compared to an EIof a previous frame. If the EI of the current frame is the same as orapproximately equal to the EI of the previous frame, a counter isincreased by 1. On the other hand, if the EI of the current frame is notthe same the counter is cleared to 0. Once the counter is greater than athreshold waiting frame number WF (e.g. 5, as illustrated in FIG. 13),the system is determined to be in the static scene mode 200.

In this way, if it is determined in Block 302 that the image capturedevice 100 should not transition from the dynamic scene mode 202 to thestatic scene mode 200, i.e., the counter is less than or equal to thethreshold WF, adjustment module 150 generates updated image settings,Block 304, and transmits the current updated image settings to theprocessor 120, Block 306. The updated image settings includeinstructions for configuring the processor 120 for performing imageprocessing of the image capture device. Therefore, during operation inthe dynamic scene mode 202, the configuration of the processor 120continues to be adjusted based on the current updated image settingsreceived from the adjustment module 150.

If it is determined in Block 302 that the image capture device 100should transition from the dynamic scene mode 202 to the static scenemode 200, i.e., the counter is greater than the threshold WF, generationof the update images settings may be suspended, Block 308, and the mostrecent generated current image settings are stored, Block 310. Accordingto one example, during suspending of the generation of image settingsupdate while in the static scene mode 200, the auto white balance module155 and the autofocus module 160 of the adjustment circuit 145 may bedisabled or turned off, so that only the auto exposure control module150 continues generating parameters. In another example, only the autoexposure control module 150 continues generating parameters but may doso at a reduced frequency, as described above.

In this way, in one example, while the static scene mode, the adjustmentcircuit 145 monitors only auto exposure control parameters, Block 312,and the image capture device 100 determines whether the image capturedevice 100 should transition from the static scene mode 200 back to thedynamic scene mode 202, Block 314. If it is determined that the imagecapture device 100 should not transition from the static scene mode 200back to the dynamic scene mode 202 but rather remain in the static scenemode 200, the image capture device 100 sends the stored current imagesettings update to the processor 120, Block 306, and the processcontinues in the static scene mode 200 with the same stored updatedimage settings being utilized over and over by the processor 120 so thatthe instructions for configuring the processor 120 remain the same whilethe image capture device 100 is in the static scene mode 200. In thisway, disabling or turning off the auto white balance module 155 and theautofocus module 160 of the adjustment circuit 145, so that only theauto exposure control module 150 continues generating parameters, andsuspending updating of image settings and using the same updated imagesettings in the processor 120 results in a power savings for the imagecapture device 100 while in the static scene mode 200. In anotherexample, having the auto exposure control module 150 continue generatingparameters but at a reduced frequency, may result in further powersavings for the image capture device 100.

If it is determined that the image capture device 100 should transitionfrom the static scene mode 200 back to the dynamic scene mode 202, theimage capture device 100 may turn all of modules 150-160 back on. Inaddition, adjustment circuit 145 no longer suspends image settingsupdates, Block 316, and resumes the process of monitoring of imagecapture parameters associated with modules 150-160 for the next frame,Block 300.

According to one example, in order to determine whether to transitionfrom the static scene mode 200 back to the dynamic scene mode 202, Block314, the image capture device 100 may determine whether the outputexposure table index EI from the AEC module 150 for a current frame isdifferent than the output exposure table index EI from a previous frame,as described above. If the output exposure table index EI from the AECmodule 150 for a current frame is the same as the output exposure tableindex EI from a previous frame, the image capture device 100 may remainin the static scene mode 200. If the output exposure table index EI fromthe AEC module 150 for a current frame is different than the outputexposure table index EI from a previous frame, the image capture device100 may transition from the static scene mode 200 to the dynamic scenemode 202.

In this way, in one example of the present disclosure, an adjustmentcircuit of an image capture device may be configured to monitor imageparameters, generate updated image settings for the image capture devicebased on the monitored image parameters, and transmit the updated imagesettings to one or more processors configured to receive the transmittedupdated image settings from the adjustment circuit. The received updatedimage settings may include instructions for configuring the one or moreprocessors to perform image processing of the image capture device. Thereceived updated image settings may configure the one or more processorsto: determine to transition the image capture device from a dynamicscene mode to a static scene mode based on a first image parameterincluded in the monitored image parameters that is different from asecond image parameter that the one or more processors use to determineto transition the image capture device from the static scene mode to thedynamic scene mode, cause the adjustment circuit to suspend generationof all or less than all of the updated image settings in response todetermining to transition the image capture device from the dynamicscene mode to the static scene mode, and transition the image capturedevice from the dynamic scene mode to the static scene mode.

In one example, the image parameters may include a first set of imageparameters, and the monitored image parameters may include a first setof monitored image parameters, and subsequent to the transition of theimage capture device from the dynamic scene mode to the static scenemode, the adjustment circuit is configured to monitor a second set ofimage parameters. Subsequent to the transition of the image capturedevice from the dynamic scene mode to the static scene mode, the one ormore processors may be configured to: determine to transition the imagecapture device from the static scene mode to the dynamic scene modebased on the second image parameter included in the second set of imageparameters, and transition the image capture device from the staticscene mode to the dynamic scene mode.

In another example, the one or more processors may be configured tocause the adjustment circuit to restart generation of updated imagesettings in response to determining to transition the image capturedevice from the static scene mode to the dynamic scene mode, and receiveand be configured by the updated image settings generated by theadjustment circuit subsequent to causing the adjustment circuit torestart generation of updated image settings.

In another example, the second image parameter may be an exposure indexof a current frame, and wherein to determine whether to transition theimage capture device from the static scene mode to the dynamic scenemode based on the second image parameter, the one or more processors maybe configured to: compare the exposure index of the current frame to anexposure index of a previous frame, and determine to transition from thestatic scene mode to the dynamic scene mode in response to the exposureindex of the current frame being approximately equal to the exposureindex of the previous frame.

FIG. 17 is a flowchart of a method of implementing a power savingtechnique in an image capture device, according to an example of thepresent disclosure. As illustrated in FIG. 17, according to one example,while in the dynamic scene mode 202 during which all of modules 150-160are operating, adjustment circuit 145 of image capture device 100monitors image capture parameters associated with modules 150-160, Block320, and based on the monitored image parameters determines whether theimage capture device 100 should transition from the dynamic scene mode202 to the static scene mode 200, Block 322. According to one example,an output of auto exposure control 150 is an exposure table index (EI),and therefore an EI of a current frame is compared to an EI of aprevious frame. If the EI of the current frame is the same as orapproximately equal to the EI of the previous frame, a counter isincreased by 1. On the other hand, if the EI of the current frame is notthe same the counter is cleared to 0. Once the counter is greater than athreshold WF (e.g. 5, as illustrated in FIG. 13), the system isdetermined in Block 332 to be in the static scene mode 200.

In this way, if it is determined in Block 322 that the image capturedevice 100 should not transition from the dynamic scene mode 202 to thestatic scene mode 200, i.e., the counter is less than or equal to thethreshold WF, adjustment module 150 generates updated image settings,Block 324, and transmits the current updated image settings to theprocessor 120, Block 326. The updated image settings includeinstructions for configuring the processor 120 for performing imageprocessing of the image capture device. Therefore, during operation inthe dynamic scene mode 202, the configuration of the processor 120continues to be adjusted based on the current updated image settingsreceived from the adjustment module 150.

If it is determined in Block 322 that the image capture device 100should transition from the dynamic scene mode 202 to the static scenemode 200, i.e., the counter is greater than the threshold WF, all imageparameter monitoring and the generation of the update images settingsmay be suspended, Block 328, and the most recent generated current imagesettings are stored, Block 320. According to one example, duringsuspending of image parameter monitoring and the generation of imagesettings update while in the static scene mode 200, each of the autoexposure control module 150, the auto white balance module 155 and theautofocus module 160 of the adjustment circuit 145 may be disabled orturned off, resulting on a power saving for the image capture device 100while in the static scene mode 200.

While in the static scene mode, the image capture device determineswhether the image capture device 100 should transition from the staticscene mode 200 back to the dynamic scene mode 202, Block 332. If it isdetermined that the image capture device 100 should not transition fromthe static scene mode 200 back to the dynamic scene mode 202 but ratherremain in the static scene mode 200, the image capture device 100 sendsthe stored current image settings update to the processor 120, Block326, and the process continues in the static scene mode 200 using thesame stored image settings update from Block 330 so that theinstructions for configuring the processor 120 remain the same while theimage capture device 100 is in the static scene mode 200. In this way,having the adjustment circuit disabled or turn off all of modules150-160 and using the same updated image settings for configuring theprocessor 120 results in a power savings for the image capture device100 while in the static scene mode 200.

If it is determined in Block 332 that the image capture device 100should transition from the static scene mode 200 back to the dynamicscene mode 202, the image capture device 100 may turn all of modules150-160 back on and adjustment circuit 145 resumes image settingsupdates and monitoring of image capture parameters associated withmodules 150-160 for the next frame, Block 334.

According to one example, in order to determine whether to transitionfrom the static scene mode 200 back to the dynamic scene mode 202 inBlock 332 while all of modules 150-160 in 3 A adjustment circuit 145 arepaused or disabled or turned off, or sub-sampled, other information isutilized to determine whether a dramatic scene change occurs. Asdescribed above, raw statistics messages from ISP hardware contain frameinformation from imaging device 110 in a Bayer domain, i.e., a Bayergrid. In one example, the raw statistics message may be utilized todetermine if a current scene change has occurred, and therefore theimage capture device 100 should transition from the static scene mode200 back to the dynamic scene mode 202, as described above. Othermethods are also possible to be used to determine a transition from thestatic scene mode 200 back to the dynamic scene mode 202. For example,the location information or sensed motion from motion sensors inside theimage capture device 100 may be used to determine whether the imagecapture device 100 is moving.

In another example, determining whether to transition back to thedynamic scene mode 202 while the image capture device 100 is in thestatic scene mode 200 in Block 332 may be based on image parametersother than parameters from 3 A adjustment circuit 145, such as totalbrightness or exposure table index estimation, as described above. Forexample, a total brightness may have been previously determined during atime when the image capture device 100 was in the dynamic scene mode 202using the total_brightness equation, as described above. In one example,total brightness may be calculated using statistics data from the rawstatistics message and the exposure table index EI is estimated from themapping table based on the value of total_brightness. As a result,running the AEC algorithm in the AEC module 150 is avoided. Thedifference of current frame's EI from last frame's EI is compared, andif the difference comparison is less than a predetermined threshold,then it is determined in Block 332 that the current scene is still instatic scene mode 200. If the difference comparison is greater than thethreshold, the dynamic scene mode is determined in Block 332 andtherefore image capture device 100 may transition from the static scenemode 200 back to the dynamic scene mode 202. As a result, the EI may beestimated from a simple brightness calculation without having to executean algorithm in the auto exposure control module 150, thereby enablingall of modules 150-160 to be suspended or disabled or turned off whilethe image capture device 100 is in the static scene mode, resulting inan increased power savings.

The threshold may be configurable and corresponds to the sensitivity ofthe image capture device 100 with respect to system sensitivity to lightchange. If the threshold is small, the system is more sensitive to thelight change or scene content change. If the threshold is large, thesystem is less sensitive, and therefore may remain in the static scenemode 200 and does not respond to marginal change of light or scenecontent. This threshold is significant for the user experience andeffects of power saving. A suitable choice for the threshold parameterto be utilized is made in order to achieve a desired tradeoff betweenadjustment performance and power efficiency.

According to one example, image parameters other than parameters from 3A adjustment circuit 145, such as a difference between raw statisticsinformation may be utilized to determine whether image capture device100 should transition from the static scene mode 200 back to the dynamicscene mode 202 in Block 332. The difference of a corresponding R/G/Bchannel intensity in corresponding regions between a current frame and aprevious frame is determined, and a difference image is generated. Ifall the values in the difference image are determined to be larger thana threshold, the image capture device 100 determines that the light ischanging significantly and therefore determines in Block 332 that theimage capture device 100 should transition from the static scene mode200 back to the dynamic scene mode 200. In another example, if somevalues in the difference image are less than the threshold, indicatingthat the light is not changing to a large degree but the content of thescene is changing, a percentage of changing regions may be determined.If the determined percentages of changing regions is larger than achanging regions threshold (e.g., 50%), then it is determined in Block332 that image capture device 100 should transition from the staticscene mode 200 back to the dynamic scene mode 202. If the determinedpercentages of changing regions is not larger than the percentage ofchanging regions, it is determined in Block 332 that the image capturedevice 100 remains in the static scene mode 200.

In another example, during low light conditions, the image capturedevice 100 may determine whether the image capture device 100 is in thedynamic scene mode 202 using a relative correlation coefficientscalculation, as illustrated in FIG. 14 for example. In order tocalculate the normalized coefficients, the differences of correspondingregions of a current frame and a previous frame are normalized by thetotal energy of those differences. The normalization makes thecorrelation coefficients to be sensitive in low light conditions. Thecalculated correlation coefficients may be compared with anotherthreshold ranging from 0 to 1. If the coefficient is larger than thethreshold, the image capture device 100 may transition from the staticscene mode 200 back to the dynamic scene mode 202, Yes in Block 332. Ifthe coefficient is not larger than the threshold, the image capturedevice 100 may remain in the static scene mode 200, No in Block 332.

In this way, in one example of the present disclosure, an adjustmentcircuit of an image capture device may be configured to monitor imageparameters, generate updated image settings for the image capture devicebased on the monitored image parameters, and transmit the updated imagesettings to one or more processors configured to receive the transmittedupdated image settings from the adjustment circuit. The received updatedimage settings may include instructions for configuring the one or moreprocessors to perform image processing of the image capture device. Thereceived updated image settings may configure the one or more processorsto: determine to transition the image capture device from a dynamicscene mode to a static scene mode based on a first image parameterincluded in the monitored image parameters that is different from asecond image parameter that the one or more processors use to determineto transition the image capture device from the static scene mode to thedynamic scene mode, cause the adjustment circuit to suspend generationof all or less than all of the updated image settings in response todetermining to transition the image capture device from the dynamicscene mode to the static scene mode, and transition the image capturedevice from the dynamic scene mode to the static scene mode.

In one example, the image parameters may include a first set of imageparameters, and the monitored image parameters may include a first setof monitored image parameters, and subsequent to the transition of theimage capture device from the dynamic scene mode to the static scenemode, the adjustment circuit is configured to monitor a second set ofimage parameters. Subsequent to the transition of the image capturedevice from the dynamic scene mode to the static scene mode, the one ormore processors may be configured to: determine to transition the imagecapture device from the static scene mode to the dynamic scene modebased on the second image parameter included in the second set of imageparameters, and transition the image capture device from the staticscene mode to the dynamic scene mode.

In another example, the one or more processors may be configured tocause the adjustment circuit to restart generation of updated imagesettings in response to determining to transition the image capturedevice from the static scene mode to the dynamic scene mode, and receiveand be configured by the updated image settings generated by theadjustment circuit subsequent to causing the adjustment circuit torestart generation of updated image settings.

In another example, the second image parameter may be R/G/B channelintensity, and wherein to determine to transition the image capturedevice from the static scene mode to the dynamic scene mode based on thesecond image parameter, the one or more processors may be configured to:determine, while in the static scene mode, a difference of the R/G/Bchannel intensity in corresponding regions between a current frame and aprevious frame, generate a difference image based on the difference,compare values in the difference image to a difference range threshold,and determine to transition from the static scene mode to the dynamicscene mode based on to the comparing.

FIG. 18 is a flowchart of a method of implementing a power savingtechnique in an image capture device, according to an example of thepresent disclosure described in this disclosure. As illustrated in FIG.18, according to one example, image capture device 100 monitors theoutput from AEC module 150, Block 340, and if the current scene mode ofthe image capture device 100 is the dynamic scene mode 202, Block 342, adetermination is made as to whether the image capture device 100 was inthe static scene mode 200 during the previous frame, Block 344. If theimage capture device 100 was previously in the static scene mode 200,Yes in Block 344, image capture device 100 resumes the process ofmonitoring of image capture parameters associated with modules 150-160,Block 346. Once the process of monitoring of image capture parametersassociated with modules 150-160 is resumed, Block 346, or if the imagecapture device 100 was not previously in the static scene mode 200, Noin Block 344, updated image settings are generated, Block 348, and imagecapture device 100 transmits the current updated image settings to theprocessor 120, Block 350, and the process is continued for the nextframe.

If the current scene mode of the image capture device 100 is the staticscene mode 200, Block 342, a determination is made as to whether theimage capture device 100 was in the dynamic scene mode 200 during theprevious frame, Block 352. If the image capture device 100 waspreviously in the dynamic scene mode 200, Yes in Block 344, imagecapture device 100 stores the current image capture parametersassociated with modules 150-160, Block 354, and calculation and theupdating of the image settings may be suspended, Block 356, and theprocess is continued for the next frame.

FIG. 19 is a flowchart of a method of implementing a power savingtechnique in an image capture device, according to an example of thepresent disclosure described in this disclosure. As illustrated in FIG.19, according to one example, during transitioning between the staticscene mode 200 and the dynamic scene mode 202, if the image capturedevice 100 was in the dynamic scene mode 202 during the previous frame,Block 360, image capture device 100 monitors the output from AEC module150, Block 362, and determines a current scene mode for the currentframe, Block 364 based on the monitored AEC output, Block 362. If thecurrent scene or frame is not determined to be the dynamic scene mode202, No in Block 366, image capture device 100 stores the current imagecapture parameters associated with modules 150-160, Block 368, suspendscalculation and updating of the image settings, Block 370, and theprocess is continued for the next frame. If the current scene or frameis determined to be the dynamic scene mode 202, Yes in Block 366,updated image settings are generated, Block 372, and image capturedevice 100 transmits the current updated image settings to the processor120, Block 374, and the process is continued for the next frame.

If the image capture device 100 was in the static scene mode 200 duringthe previous frame, Block 360, image capture device 100 monitors theSTATS message, as described above, Block 376, and determines a currentscene mode for the current frame, Block 364 based on the monitored STATSmessage, Block 378. If the current scene or frame is determined to bethe static scene mode 200, Yes in Block 380, the process is continuedfor the next frame. If the current scene or frame is not determined tobe the static scene mode 200, No in Block 380, monitoring of imagecapture parameters associated with modules 150-160 is resumed, Block382, updated image settings are generated, Block 372, and image capturedevice 100 transmits the current updated image settings to the processor120, Block 374, and the process is continued for the next frame.

As described above, the present disclosure proposes techniques in animage capture device and a method of operation of an image capturedevice for reducing power consumption by transitioning from a dynamicscene mode to a static scene mode when the device is operating incertain static scene situations. For example, an adjustment circuit ofan image capture device may be configured to monitor image parameters,generate updated image settings for the image capture device based onthe monitored image parameters, and transmit the updated image settingsto one or more processors configured to receive the transmitted updatedimage settings from the adjustment circuit. The received updated imagesettings may include instructions for configuring the one or moreprocessors to perform image processing of the image capture device. Thereceived updated image settings may configure the one or more processorsto: determine to transition the image capture device from a dynamicscene mode to a static scene mode based on a first image parameterincluded in the monitored image parameters that is different from asecond image parameter that the one or more processors use to determineto transition the image capture device from the static scene mode to thedynamic scene mode, cause the adjustment circuit to suspend generationof all or less than all of the updated image settings in response todetermining to transition the image capture device from the dynamicscene mode to the static scene mode, and transition the image capturedevice from the dynamic scene mode to the static scene mode.

In one example, described above, the image parameters may include afirst set of image parameters, and the monitored image parameters mayinclude a first set of monitored image parameters, and subsequent to thetransition of the image capture device from the dynamic scene mode tothe static scene mode, the adjustment circuit is configured to monitor asecond set of image parameters. Subsequent to the transition of theimage capture device from the dynamic scene mode to the static scenemode, the one or more processors may be configured to: determine totransition the image capture device from the static scene mode to thedynamic scene mode based on the second image parameter included in thesecond set of image parameters, and transition the image capture devicefrom the static scene mode to the dynamic scene mode.

In another example, described above, the one or more processors may beconfigured to cause the adjustment circuit to restart generation ofupdated image settings in response to determining to transition theimage capture device from the static scene mode to the dynamic scenemode, and receive and be configured by the updated image settingsgenerated by the adjustment circuit subsequent to causing the adjustmentcircuit to restart generation of updated image settings.

In another example, described above, the second image parameter may bean exposure index of a current frame, and wherein to determine whetherto transition the image capture device from the static scene mode to thedynamic scene mode based on the second image parameter, the one or moreprocessors may be configured to: compare the exposure index of thecurrent frame to an exposure index of a previous frame, and determine totransition from the static scene mode to the dynamic scene mode inresponse to the exposure index of the current frame being approximatelyequal to the exposure index of the previous frame.

In another example, described above, the second image parameter may beR/G/B channel intensity, and wherein to determine to transition theimage capture device from the static scene mode to the dynamic scenemode based on the second image parameter, the one or more processors maybe configured to: determine, while in the static scene mode, adifference of the R/G/B channel intensity in corresponding regionsbetween a current frame and a previous frame, generate a differenceimage based on the difference, compare values in the difference image toa difference range threshold, and determine to transition from thestatic scene mode to the dynamic scene mode based on to the comparing.

In one or more examples, the functions described may be implemented inhardware, software, firmware, or any combination thereof. If implementedin software, the functions may be stored on or transmitted over, as oneor more instructions or code, a computer-readable medium and executed bya hardware-based processing unit. Computer-readable media may includecomputer-readable storage media, which corresponds to a tangible mediumsuch as data storage media, or communication media including any mediumthat facilitates transfer of a computer program from one place toanother, e.g., according to a communication protocol. In this manner,computer-readable media generally may correspond to (1) tangiblecomputer-readable storage media which is non-transitory or (2) acommunication medium such as a signal or carrier wave. Data storagemedia may be any available media that can be accessed by one or morecomputers or one or more processors to retrieve instructions, codeand/or data structures for implementation of the techniques described inthis disclosure. A computer program product may include acomputer-readable medium.

By way of example, and not limitation, such computer-readable storagemedia can comprise RAM, ROM, EEPROM, CD-ROM or other optical diskstorage, magnetic disk storage, or other magnetic storage devices, flashmemory, or any other medium that can be used to store desired programcode in the form of instructions or data structures and that can beaccessed by a computer. Also, any connection is properly termed acomputer-readable medium. For example, if instructions are transmittedfrom a website, server, or other remote source using a coaxial cable,fiber optic cable, twisted pair, digital subscriber line (DSL), orwireless technologies such as infrared, radio, and microwave, then thecoaxial cable, fiber optic cable, twisted pair, DSL, or wirelesstechnologies such as infrared, radio, and microwave are included in thedefinition of medium. It should be understood, however, thatcomputer-readable storage media and data storage media do not includeconnections, carrier waves, signals, or other transient media, but areinstead directed to non-transient, tangible storage media. Disk anddisc, as used herein, includes compact disc (CD), laser disc, opticaldisc, digital versatile disc (DVD), floppy disk and Blu-ray disc, wheredisks usually reproduce data magnetically, while discs reproduce dataoptically with lasers. Combinations of the above should also be includedwithin the scope of computer-readable media.

Instructions may be executed by one or more processors, such as one ormore digital signal processors (DSPs), general purpose microprocessors,application specific integrated circuits (ASICs), field programmablelogic arrays (FPGAs), or other equivalent integrated or discrete logiccircuitry. Accordingly, the term “processor,” as used herein may referto any of the foregoing structure or any other structure suitable forimplementation of the techniques described herein. In addition, in someaspects, the functionality described herein may be provided withindedicated hardware and/or software modules configured for encoding anddecoding, or incorporated in a combined codec. Also, the techniquescould be fully implemented in one or more circuits or logic elements.

The techniques of this disclosure may be implemented in a wide varietyof devices or apparatuses, including a wireless handset, an integratedcircuit (IC) or a set of ICs (e.g., a chip set). Various components,modules, or units are described in this disclosure to emphasizefunctional aspects of devices configured to perform the disclosedtechniques, but do not necessarily require realization by differenthardware units. Rather, as described above, various units may becombined in a codec hardware unit or provided by a collection ofinteroperative hardware units, including one or more processors asdescribed above, in conjunction with suitable software and/or firmware.

Various examples have been described. These and other examples arewithin the scope of the following claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. An image capture device, comprising: anadjustment circuit configured to monitor image parameters, generateupdated image settings for the image capture device based on themonitored image parameters, and transmit the updated image settings; andone or more processors configured to receive the transmitted updatedimage settings from the adjustment circuit, wherein the received updatedimage settings comprise instructions for configuring the one or moreprocessors to perform image processing of the image capture device, andwherein the updated image settings configure the one or more processorsto: determine to transition the image capture device from a dynamicscene mode to a static scene mode based on a first image parameterincluded in the monitored image parameters, wherein the first imageparameter used to determine to transition the image capture device fromthe dynamic scene mode to the static scene mode is different from asecond image parameter that the one or more processors use to determineto transition the image capture device from the static scene mode to thedynamic scene mode, cause the adjustment circuit to suspend generationof all or less than all of the updated image settings in response todetermining to transition the image capture device from the dynamicscene mode to the static scene mode, and transition the image capturedevice from the dynamic scene mode to the static scene mode.
 2. Thedevice of claim 1, wherein the first image parameter comprises an autoexposure control value, and the second image parameter comprises one ormore statistics messages.
 3. The device of claim 1, wherein the imageparameters include a first set of image parameters, and the monitoredimage parameters comprise a first set of monitored image parameters,wherein, subsequent to the transition of the image capture device fromthe dynamic scene mode to the static scene mode, the adjustment circuitis configured to monitor a second set of image parameters, wherein,subsequent to the transition of the image capture device from thedynamic scene mode to the static scene mode, the one or more processorsare configured to: determine to transition the image capture device fromthe static scene mode to the dynamic scene mode based on the secondimage parameter included in the second set of image parameters; andtransition the image capture device from the static scene mode to thedynamic scene mode.
 4. The device of claim 3, wherein the one or moreprocessors are configured to: cause the adjustment circuit to restartgeneration of updated image settings in response to determining totransition the image capture device from the static scene mode to thedynamic scene mode, and receive and be configured by the updated imagesettings generated by the adjustment circuit subsequent to causing theadjustment circuit to restart generation of updated image settings. 5.The device of claim 3, wherein the second image parameter comprises anexposure index of a current frame, and wherein to determine whether totransition the image capture device from the static scene mode to thedynamic scene mode based on the second image parameter, the one or moreprocessors are configured to: compare the exposure index of the currentframe to an exposure index of a previous frame, and determine totransition from the static scene mode to the dynamic scene mode inresponse to the exposure index of the current frame being approximatelyequal to the exposure index of the previous frame.
 6. The device ofclaim 3, wherein the second image parameter comprises R/G/B channelintensity, and wherein to determine to transition the image capturedevice from the static scene mode to the dynamic scene mode based on thesecond image parameter, the one or more processors are configured to:determine, while in the static scene mode, a difference of the R/G/Bchannel intensity in corresponding regions between a current frame and aprevious frame, generate a difference image based on the difference,compare values in the difference image to a difference range threshold,and determine to transition from the static scene mode to the dynamicscene mode based on to the comparing.
 7. The device of claim 1, whereinthe one or more processors is configured to receive statistics data, andwherein the one or more processors are configured to determine, while inthe dynamic scene mode, a total brightness in response to the receivedstatistics data, and generate a mapping table mapping the totalbrightness to exposure indexes when in the dynamic scene mode.
 8. Thedevice of claim 1, wherein the first image parameter comprises anexposure index of a current frame, wherein to determine whether totransition the image capture device from the dynamic scene mode to thestatic scene mode based on the first image parameter, the one or moreprocessors are configured to: compare the exposure index of the currentframe to an exposure index of a previous frame, increase a counter inresponse to the exposure index of the current frame being approximatelyequal to the exposure index of the previous frame, compare the counterto a threshold, and determine that the image capture device is totransition from the dynamic scene mode to the static scene mode inresponse to the counter being greater than the threshold.
 9. The deviceof claim 8, wherein the threshold corresponds to sensitivity of theimage capture device with respect to sensitivity to light change. 10.The device of claim 1, wherein the adjustment circuit comprises an autoexposure control module, an auto white balance module, and an autofocusmodule, and wherein the one or processors are configured to disable theauto white balance module and the autofocus module so that onlyparameters based on the auto exposure control module are updated by theadjustment circuit and received by the one or more processors when thedevice is in the static scene mode.
 11. The device of claim 1, whereinthe one or more processors are further configured to store updated imagesettings generated prior to transitioning the image capture device fromthe dynamic scene mode to the static scene mode, wherein the storedupdated image settings are received by the one or more processors whilethe image capture device is in the static scene mode.
 12. The device ofclaim 1, wherein the image capture device comprises a digital camera ofa wireless communication device.
 13. A method of operation in an imagecapture device, comprising: monitoring, by an adjustment circuit, imageparameters, generating updated image settings for the image capturedevice based on the monitored image parameters, and transmitting theupdated image settings; and receiving, by one or more processors, thetransmitted updated image settings from the adjustment circuit, whereinthe received updated image settings comprise instructions forconfiguring the one or more processors to perform image processing ofthe image capture device; determining to transition the image capturedevice from a dynamic scene mode to a static scene mode based on a firstimage parameter included in the monitored image parameters, wherein thefirst image parameter used to determine to transition the image capturedevice from the dynamic scene mode to the static scene mode is differentfrom a second image parameter used to determine to transition the imagecapture device from the static scene mode to the dynamic scene mode;suspending generation of all or less than all of the updated imagesettings in response to determining to transition the image capturedevice from the dynamic scene mode to the static scene mode, andtransitioning the image capture device from the dynamic scene mode tothe static scene mode.
 14. The method device of claim 13, wherein thefirst image parameter comprises an auto exposure control value, and thesecond image parameter comprises one or more statistics messages. 15.The method of claim 13, wherein the image parameters include a first setof image parameters, and the monitored image parameters comprise a firstset of monitored image parameters, and subsequent to the transitioningof the image capture device from the dynamic scene mode to the staticscene mode, further comprising: monitoring a second set of imageparameters; determining to transition the image capture device from thestatic scene mode to the dynamic scene mode based on the second imageparameter included in the second set of image parameters, andtransitioning the image capture device from the static scene mode to thedynamic scene mode.
 16. The method of claim 15, further comprising:restarting generation of updated image settings in response todetermining to transition the image capture device from the static scenemode to the dynamic scene mode; receiving, by the one or moreprocessors, the updated image settings generated by the adjustmentcircuit subsequent to causing the adjustment circuit to restartgeneration of updated image settings; and configuring the one or moreprocessors based on the received updated image settings generated by theadjustment circuit subsequent to causing the adjustment circuit torestart generation of updated image settings.
 17. The method of claim15, wherein the second image parameter comprises an exposure index of acurrent frame, and further comprising: comparing the exposure index ofthe current frame to an exposure index of a previous frame; anddetermining to transition from the static scene mode to the dynamicscene mode based on to the exposure index of the current frame beingapproximately equal to the exposure index of the previous frame.
 18. Themethod of claim 15, wherein the second image parameter comprises R/G/Bchannel intensity, and further comprising: determining, while in thestatic scene mode, a difference of the R/G/B channel intensity incorresponding regions between a current frame and a previous frame;generating a difference image based on the difference; comparing valuesin the difference image to a difference range threshold; and determiningto transition from the static scene mode to the dynamic scene mode basedon to the comparing.
 19. The method of claim 13, further comprising:receiving statistics data; determining, while in the dynamic scene mode,a total brightness in response to the received statistics data; andgenerating a mapping table mapping the total brightness to exposureindexes when in the dynamic scene mode.
 20. The method of claim 13,wherein the first image parameter comprises an exposure index of acurrent frame, and further comprising: comparing the exposure index ofthe current frame to an exposure index of a previous frame; increasing acounter based on the exposure index of the current frame beingapproximately equal to the exposure index of the previous frame;comparing the counter to a threshold; and determining that the imagecapture device is to transition from the dynamic scene mode to thestatic scene mode based on the counter being greater than the threshold.21. The method of claim 20, wherein the threshold corresponds tosensitivity of the image capture device with respect to sensitivity tolight change.
 22. The method of claim 13, wherein the adjustment circuitcomprises an auto exposure control module, an auto white balance module,and an autofocus module, and further comprising disabling the auto whitebalance module and the autofocus module so that only parameters based onthe auto exposure control module are updated by the adjustment circuitand received by the one or more processors when the device is in thestatic scene mode.
 23. The method of claim 13, further comprising:storing updated image settings generated prior to transitioning theimage capture device from the dynamic scene mode to the static scenemode; and receiving, by the one or more processors, the stored updatedimage settings while the image capture device is in the static scenemode.
 24. A computer-readable medium storing instructions that, whenexecuted, cause one or more processors to: monitor image parameters,generate updated image settings for an image capture device based on themonitored image parameters, and transmit the updated image settings;receive the transmitted updated image settings, wherein the receivedupdated image settings comprise instructions for configuring the one ormore processors to perform image processing of the image capture device;determine to transition the image capture device from a dynamic scenemode to a static scene mode based on a first image parameter included inthe monitored image parameters, wherein the first image parameter usedto determine to transition the image capture device from the dynamicscene mode to the static scene mode is different from a second imageparameter used to determine to transition the image capture device fromthe static scene mode to the dynamic scene mode; suspend generation ofall or less than all of the updated image settings in response todetermining to transition the image capture device from the dynamicscene mode to the static scene mode; and transition the image capturedevice from the dynamic scene mode to the static scene mode.
 25. Thecomputer-readable medium of claim 24, wherein the first image parametercomprises an auto exposure control value and the second image parametercomprises one or more statistics messages.
 26. The computer-readablemedium of claim 24, wherein the image parameters include a first set ofimage parameters, and the monitored image parameters comprise a firstset of monitored image parameters, wherein, subsequent to the transitionof the image capture device from the dynamic scene mode to the staticscene mode, the one or more processors are configured to: monitor asecond set of image parameters; determine to transition the imagecapture device from the static scene mode to the dynamic scene modebased on the second image parameter included in the second set of imageparameters; and transition the image capture device from the staticscene mode to the dynamic scene mode.
 27. The computer-readable mediumof claim 26, wherein the one or more processors are configured to:restart generation of updated image settings in response to determiningto transition the image capture device from the static scene mode to thedynamic scene mode, and receive and be configured by the updated imagesettings subsequent to restarting generation of updated image settings.28. The computer-readable medium of claim 26, wherein the second imageparameter comprises an exposure index of a current frame, and wherein todetermine whether to transition the image capture device from the staticscene mode to the dynamic scene mode based on the second imageparameter, the one or more processors are configured to: compare theexposure index of the current frame to an exposure index of a previousframe, and determine to transition from the static scene mode to thedynamic scene mode in response to the exposure index of the currentframe being approximately equal to the exposure index of the previousframe.
 29. The computer-readable medium of claim 26, wherein the secondimage parameter comprises R/G/B channel intensity, and wherein todetermine to transition the image capture device from the static scenemode to the dynamic scene mode based on the second image parameter, theone or more processors are configured to: determine, while in the staticscene mode, a difference of the R/G/B channel intensity in correspondingregions between a current frame and a previous frame, generate adifference image based on the difference, compare values in thedifference image to a difference range threshold, and determine totransition from the static scene mode to the dynamic scene mode based onto the comparing.
 30. An image capture device, comprising: means formonitoring image parameters, generating updated image settings for theimage capture device based on the monitored image parameters, andtransmitting the updated image settings; means for receiving thetransmitted updated image settings from the adjustment circuit, whereinthe received updated image settings comprise instructions forconfiguring the one or more processors to perform image processing ofthe image capture device; means for determining to transition the imagecapture device from a dynamic scene mode to a static scene mode based ona first image parameter included in the monitored image parameters,wherein the first image parameter used to determine to transition theimage capture device from the dynamic scene mode to the static scenemode is different from a second image parameter used to determine totransition the image capture device from the static scene mode to thedynamic scene mode; means for suspending generation of all or less thanall of the updated image settings in response to determining totransition the image capture device from the dynamic scene mode to thestatic scene mode; and means for transitioning the image capture devicefrom the dynamic scene mode to the static scene mode.